U.S.
representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Barney Frank
(D-Mass.) announced today the formation of the LGBT
Equality Caucus. The 52-member bipartisan group, which
includes two Republicans, marks the nation's
first congressional caucus with the express purpose of
advancing equal rights for LGBT people, repealing
discriminatory laws and educating lawmakers on gay
issues. Baldwin and Frank, both openly gay, cochair the
caucus.
Baldwin told
The Advocate that the caucus's
primary concern this session is "to educate and
prepare for major legislative victories" once a
supportive commander in chief steps in the White
House. Specifically, she referenced the Matthew Shepard Hate
Crimes Bill and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(ENDA). President Bush had threatened to veto both,
but neither made it to his desk.
Baldwin also
noted the significance of launching the caucus with
bipartisan support. "We have to have the most
effective communication possible with both
sides," she said. "Our Republican charter
members will be great at educating and being role
models for their side of the aisle."
The two
Republican charter members are Connecticut's Chris
Shays and Florida's Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, but
others are expected to join this week. Shays agreed
that forming the LGBT Equality Caucus is pivotal in
educating fellow lawmakers. But he sees another reason why
this particular caucus will be successful. Unlike most
caucuses, which are helmed by a Republican and a
Democratic cochair, "in this case, you have two
cochairs who happen to be one gay and one lesbian --
individuals who have experienced the very
discrimination we're talking about." That, he
said, will show other lawmakers firsthand that being gay is
not a threat to the social fabric of the country.
The idea to form
an LGBT Equality Caucus goes back to 2003. That's
when Baldwin began convening an ad hoc group of
Representatives to rally around bills that affect gays
and lesbians. During those early legislative sessions,
the group fended off attacks, such as the antigay
Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have defined
marriage in the U.S. Constitution as between a man and
woman.
By the current
session the ad hoc group had moved from defense to
offense, advancing gay-friendly bills such as ENDA. That's
when Baldwin said she realized formalizing the group
into a caucus would expand its membership and increase
its clout. "We expect to use the Caucus
extensively for briefings," Baldwin said, explaining
that caucuses help publicize briefings and are
valuable in nimbly bringing witnesses to Capitol Hill.
In addition, she said, the LGBT Equality Caucus will serve
as an information clearinghouse with a website and
Listservs to ensure speedy updates and a higher
level of awareness about LGBT issues.
Over the longer
haul, Baldwin hopes these tools will help the caucus work
to eliminate bullying in schools, eradicate the disparities
LGBT people experience in health care systems, address
the mental health issues that arise from
discrimination, increase research and prevention programs
for HIV/AIDS, and advocate for international LGBT
issues. "We have an administration that
doesn't include LGBT rights as a part of human
rights," Baldwin said. "Congress needs to
speak up when we hear of mass arrests or asylum
issues."
Beyond cochairs
Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Frank (D-Mass.), members of the new
caucus include these representatives: Rob Andrews (D-N.J.),
Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), Lois Capps (D-Calif.),
Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), Diana
DeGette (D-Colo.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Rau;l
Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee
(D-Calif.), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Jerrold Nadler
(D-N.Y.), Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Jan
Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), Debbie
Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Henry Waxman (D-Calif.),
Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Howard
Berman (D-Calif.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Robert Brady
(D-Pa.), Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), Susan Davis (D-Calif.),
Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Anna
Eshoo (D-Calif.), Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Phil Hare
(D-Ill.), Rush Holt (D-N.J.), Sheila Jackson Lee
(D-Texas), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), Patrick Kennedy
(D-R.I.), Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Zoe Lofgren
(D-Calif.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Doris Matsui
(D-Calif.), James Moran (D-Va.), Eleanor Holmes Norton
(D-Washington, D.C.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Steven Rothman (D-N.J.),
Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), Chris Shays (R-Conn.),
Pete Stark (D-Calif.), Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), Ellen Tauscher
(D-Calif.), Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.), Robert Wexler (D-Fla.),
Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.). (Trenton Straube, The
Advocate)
